DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farm groups and some members of Congress from farm states are decrying proposed cuts to crop insurance and other safety net programs for farmers included in President Donald Trump’s budget.

The proposed cuts come as farmers are facing their fourth straight year of falling income. They could particularly affect farm states such as Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska that helped Trump win the November election.

One proposal would cut the federal crop insurance program by $28 billion over 10 years. Programs that provide crop subsidies would lose $9 billion. But Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa farmer, says the crop insurance cuts won’t make it through Congress.

The Trump administration says the proposed cuts help fulfill a campaign promise to balance the federal budget.

Officers with the Council Bluffs Police Department responded early Saturday morning to a report of shots fired at 2113 Avenue H. The call came in at around 3:12-a.m. Upon arrival officers surrounded the house and secured the area. Officers called out all of the occupants of the house and were given permission by the resident to search the house.

No suspects were located. There were no injuries reported. No weapon was recovered. Officers are still working to determine the suspect.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Nodaway man after being called to a disturbance early Saturday morning. At 1:20am Deputies responded to the disturbance in Nodaway. 44-year-old Shawn Dale Kammerer was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault 2nd Offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense (Methamphetamine), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs. Kammerer is being held without bond until seen by a Magistrate.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Creston man on multiple charges this past Sunday. On May 28th at 1:24pm Adams County Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a red Buick Regal because it was not displaying license plates. The vehicle failed to stop and fled westbound on Highway 34 from the Redwood Avenue intersection at approximately 96 miles per hour. Later the vehicle turned southbound onto Quince Avenue and pulled into a driveway. The driver jumped out of the vehicle and became very hostile. The driver resisted but was eventually taken into custody.

It was determined the driver was 33-year-old Steven Lamar of Creston. Lamar was charged with two counts of Assault on Persons Engaged in Certain Occupations, Possession of Stolen Property, Interference with Official Acts, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. It was also determined the vehicle was stolen from Creston and was later returned to its owner. The case remains under investigation.

The State Fire Marshal says a retailer in Forest City is the first to complete the process to get a license to sell fireworks in Iowa. State Fire Marshal Jeffrey Quigle says some 600 people logged in to the website Thursday once they could start the process to get a license. His staff has been working to process all the requests.

“As of yesterday (Thursday) evening, we actually had 88 retailer licenses that are in process. And then we can further break that down to an actual 46 who have submitted site plans and were are in the process of reviewing,” Quigle says. Their goal is to complete a license application in three days. Quigle says they’ve been able to use software for the fireworks registration process that they already use for other things.

He says they already license sprinkle and fire alarm contractors, burglar alarm and nurse call contractors along with explosive blasters. “So we were able to build upon that licensing software. This is just a little bit different — we tried to make it totally online and eliminate paper,” Quigle says. He says they have also been getting hundreds of calls since the fireworks selling period began Thursday.

Quigle says they continue to update their website with information to help try and eliminate some of the phone calls, but he says they encourage anyone with questions to call, as he says they may be able to quickly answer the question. Quigle says those applying for licenses have done a good job of preparing their applications to follow the regulations posted online.

“We’ve seen a lot of people take time to read the two main chapters in that document which deal with both storage and then fireworks sales,” Quigle says. “..we’ve seen some really good site plans come in and we don’t have to call back and ask further questions, they are very, very good.” There are four wholesalers from out-of-state who have applied to sell fireworks in Iowa. Quigle says they’ve had inquiries from all over the country and many from in-state as well.

“It’s kind of a vast array of different people that we are seeing that are selling fireworks,” Quigle says. Fireworks can be sold through July 8th. A second sales period is set for around the New Year’s holiday.

(Radio Iowa)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office along with the Iowa State Patrol report the arrest of two Illinois residents after a traffic stop on Friday. At 12:50pm Officers arrested 24-year-old Bishop C. Thornton and 23-year-old Kiersten L Tucker both of Moline, IL on valid warrants for Burglary issued by the State of Illinois. Bishop was held on $50,000 cash bond and Tucker was held on $30,000 cash bond. Both are being held in the Montgomery County Jail pending extradition back to Illinois.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – For her first trip across Iowa as governor, Republican Kim Reynolds accepted the free use of a jet owned by a wealthy businessman who is lobbying for state approval to build a Cedar Rapids casino.  Reynolds and Acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg barnstormed the state last Friday on the “Building a Better Iowa” tour. They stopped in Gregg’s hometown of Hawarden and Mason City, Cedar Rapids and Davenport.

The governor’s office told The Associated Press that the pair, a state trooper and staffers traveled in an airplane owned by businessman Gary Kirke, who donated the plane and services of two pilots as in-kind contributions to Reynolds’ newly-established gubernatorial campaign.

The arrangement, while allowed under ethics rules, is drawing criticism from Reynolds’ opponents and highlighting Kirke’s cozy relationship with the administration.

The Iowa Supreme Court rules parents can sue a doctor for failing to tell them their child may be born with a birth defect. Pamela Plowman and Jeremy Plowman sued after their son was born in Fort Madison who developed several medical issues, including cerebral palsy. An ultrasound taken prior to the child’s birth showed an abnormal growth of its head, but the Plowman’s were never told about any problems.

Pamela Plowman sued saying she “would have terminated her pregnancy” if she had know of the issues. She seeks payment for the cost of raising the child, mental anguish and loss of income. Her husband filed a similar lawsuit.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the right to sue for wrongful birth belongs to parents who were denied the opportunity to make an informed choice whether to lawfully terminate a pregnancy in Iowa. “It is not this court’s role to second-guess that intensely personal and difficult decision.”

Justice Edward Mansfield wrote a dissenting opinion. He says the decision is limited to a “severely disabled child” — but says the court does not define the term, and asks “what happens if testing indicates the child will be born blind or without a hand?” Mansfield says the court’s decision also opens up the possibility for other claims.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a new trial in the case of a Muscatine high school baseball player who was injured when he was struck in the head by a foul ball during a game in Davenport in 2011.  A jury sided with Spencer Ludman, finding Davenport Assumption High School partially responsible for his injuries and awarded him damages in excess of $1 million.

However, the Supreme Court on Friday concluded the trial judge should have allowed the school to present evidence that its dugout was of standard design and construction for high schools and that the jury should hear testimony about whether Ludman had a responsibility to be on the lookout for a foul ball.

The court ordered the case returned to Scott County for a new trial.